Microsoft Teams: What is it, and what is SMS for Microsoft Teams?

 

Microsoft Teams helps businesses across industries communicate internally. At its core, it’s a business instant messaging tool. But as employees and consumers embrace text messaging, Microsoft Teams has expanded to allow for integrations that allow you to send texts from Teams.

So, what does the tool do? And how does SMS for Microsoft Teams work?

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is an online hub that helps team members work together. The platform offers easy access to Microsoft’s internal communication tools, like messaging, video calls, and conference calls. It also provides quick access to Word, PowerPoint, and Excel files, which teams can access, edit, and share in real-time. These features come with a lot of benefits, including:

Enriched online communication

Microsoft Teams goes well beyond simple online messaging. In a single interface, team members can share relevant files, set up follow-up meetings, make phone or video calls to clarify key points, and send GIFs for emphasis or to help differentiate co-workers. Using SMS for team chats empowers teams to communicate three-dimensionally—just as if they were in an office space together.

Improved focus

Microsoft Teams provides additional features to improve team focus. Teams can create channels that address specific projects or departments. Channels contain only relevant chats, meetings, notes, and files, making it easy for team members to find exactly what they’re looking for. Team members can also set statuses to indicate their availability—a key feature when teams are working remotely.

Improved team productivity

Richer communication and improved focus make it easier for teams to share their ideas, projects, and advice quickly. Plus, chats are simply one of the fastest ways to communicate. This level of transparency and speed improves productivity for teams. This transparency is key to outstanding business results as more businesses move online.

SMS for Microsoft Teams

Business SMS is a popular customer communication tool. It empowers teams to connect with customers through a channel they love. Plus, business SMS platforms empower teams to easily send, receive, and organize thousands of customer texts.

Microsoft Teams SMS integrations let businesses capitalize on their favorite customer communication platform while taking full advantage of their powerful internal communication tool, too. When you add SMS to Microsoft Teams, you can:

Coordinate on customer texts faster

With SMS for Teams, businesses can route incoming customer texts to a Microsoft Teams channel. Permissioned members of that channel can click on a message and then automatically open a thread. If someone needs help responding to the message, they can quickly switch to a chat with a team member to ask for advice. This feature allows team members to coordinate without switching back and forth between their internal chat and external communication hubs.

Connect with customers when they’re top-of-mind

Team members can also start conversations with customers through the Microsoft Teams interface. They can create a new chat and then use the slash command to send a text to a customer’s phone number. This feature is helpful when team members have been discussing a customer with their coworkers on Microsoft Teams. Team members can use Microsoft SMS capabilities to text that customer right as they’re thinking about them, ensuring that the message doesn’t fall by the wayside.

Access customer history from a central hub

Using Microsoft Teams for customer service helps you centralize customer communication data. Both the business texting platform and Microsoft Teams save all sent and received customer texts. With this data, team members can quickly search and find relevant customer information. They can use it to tailor current customer chats, making the customer experience as personal as possible.

Answer more customer texts, faster

With SMS for Microsoft Teams, team members can coordinate on customer messages quickly, stay focused on customer needs, and access the customer information they need right when they need it. Ultimately, integrating with Microsoft Teams provides customer service agents with the tools they need to provide more customers with a fast, personalized experience.